Commisso gains funding momentum in Democratic primary for 109th district

Published 11:14 pm, Tuesday, August 14, 2012

ALBANY — With just a month to go before the six-way Democratic primary in the 109th Assembly District, Frank Commisso Jr. out-raised his opponents by nearly threefold in the last month and now sits on the biggest pile of cash.

The latest campaign finance filings represent a reversal for Commisso, an Albany councilman, who came in fourth last month at the first disclosure date since the closely watched race began.

The $42,197 Commisso raised propelled him to a total of $87,613 — barely edging out Pat Fahy for most overall by about $7 — and leaving him with $72,412 to spend ahead of the Sept. 13 contest. That's $7,600 more than his nearest challenger, lawyer William McCarthy Jr.

Combined, the six candidates have reported spending $104,566 in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Assemblyman Jack McEneny and have at least a combined $249,000 to spend before primary day. The district includes most of Albany, and the towns of Bethlehem, Guilderland and New Scotland.

Nearly a quarter of Commisso's fundraising since mid-July came from two sources — a $7,000 transfer from the campaign account that funded his 2009 election to the Common Council and $3,600 from the Capital City Committee, which is controlled by Mayor Jerry Jennings.

At least another $8,000 — in equal $4,000 increments — appears to have come from two entities with ties to Columbia Development, MDG Mill Creek LLC, which is incorporated at the Clifton Park home of Marc D. Goldstein, Columbia's director of real estate, and Stonewall Hardscapes, a Vermont masonry company owned by a Joshua Goldstein.

Public records indicate that a Joshua Goldstein once shared Marc Goldstein's Clifton Park address. Neither man could be reached for comment Tuesday.

Columbia and its construction arm, BBL Construction Services, have long been among the region's most politically active developers, especially in Albany County, and have in the past used their many subsidiaries to contribute cash to local candidates.

At least one other candidate in the 109th Assembly District primary has received a contribution from an entity linked in the past to Columbia. In July, Fahy — a former city school board president and state Labor Department official — received $2,000 from Mt. Ida Apartments, LLC.

Commisso Jr. also received a late boost from his father, County Legislature Majority Leader Frank Commisso, who made a $4,000 contribution to the campaign in the days before the deadline on top of an additional $2,000 from the elder Commisso's own campaign account.

The crowded primary has proved difficult to handicap and, like in many races, money will likely end up playing a large role in the final months as the candidates make their final pushes to reach those Democrats most likely to turn out at the polls.

Behind Commisso and McCarthy, County Legislator Christopher Higgins had the third most on hand to spend at $56,321, followed by Fahy with $52,838. State legislative staffer Margarita Perez was in fifth with $2,377 on hand, while the sixth candidate, former County Executive James J. Coyne, reported having $1,133 on hand to spend.

Amended filings from last month also revealed that Fahy, not Higgins, led the cash race in mid-July.

Fahy's July filing was amended upward by about $4,000 to reflect contributions that her campaign received prior to the mid-July reporting date but which were inadvertently omitted from the report.

Higgins' campaign meanwhile adjusted its July filing downward to reflect a $2,000 in-kind contribution of radio advertising that failed to materialize.